PHOENIX (AP) — Republican legislators are changing their budget-balancing plan to at least temporarily shelve a controversial cost-cutting move to close the state Juvenile Corrections Department and shift its responsibilities to counties.
House Appropriations Committee John Kavanagh said Wednesday there's an agreement with county officials to keep the department as-is while a state commission studies possible changes of its responsibilities for custody and treatment of juvenile offenders.
Kavanagh also says the new version has the state getting voluntary financial contributions from Maricopa and Pima counties to provide some of the cost-savings in the original plan. County officials say the original version was unfair because of costs shifted to counties.
